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Afghanistan The Government of Afghanistan signed an Action Plan with the United Nations to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children by the Afghan National Security Forces, including the Afghan National Police, Afghan Local Police and Afghan National Army, on 30 January 2011. A Road Map to accelerate the implementation of the Action Plan was endorsed by the Government on 1 August 2014. Children continue to suffer the consequences of intense fighting across Afghanistan. In 2015, child casualties rose to their highest level since the establishment of the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism in 2009. In the first six months of 2016, almost a third of all civilian casualties in Afghanistan were children. The United Nations has continued to document cases of recruitment and use of children. Most cases were attributed to armed groups, but there were also cases of underage recruitment and use in the Afghan Local Police, Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army. Attacks on schools and hospitals remain a major challenge in Afghanistan and cause disruptions of education and health services across the country. Progress in the implementation of the Action Plan Work continues under the road map towards compliance with the Action Plan adopted in 2014. A Presidential decree criminalizing underage recruitment by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) entered into force in February 2015. The Government has endorsed age assessment guidelines to prevent the recruitment of minors in the ANSF. In 2016 additional child protection units were established, bringing the total to thirteen. These units are embedded in Afghan National Police recruitment centres, and are credited with preventing the recruitment of hundreds of children. Road map towards compliance: key activities • Establishment of child protection units in police recruitment centres nationwide • Implementation of age verification guidelines in all ANSF recruitment processes • Legal and policy reform to criminalise child recruitment and use • Investigation and prosecution of cases of recruitment and use of children • Action to ensure that children arrested and detained on national security-related charges are treated in line with international juvenile justice standards The way forward to protect the children of Afghanistan: Release and Reintegration In accordance with the Action Plan, all children in the ranks of the Afghan National and Local Police should be released immediately and without conditions. Resources are needed to establish and maintain sustainable reintegration services. Services should also be offered to children formerly associated with armed groups, including to those in detention.
